First Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Mohammed Sabbari, and His Entourage Meet Speaker of the Angolan National Assembly

As part of his participation in the 147^th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the 212^th Session of the Governing Council, and related meetings hosted by the National Assembly of the Republic of Angola in the capital, Luanda, from October 23 to 27, 2023, the First Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Mohammed Sabbari, and his entourage, held a bilateral meeting on Friday, October 27, 2023, with the Speaker of the National Assembly of Angola, Hon. Carolina Cerqueira.

The meeting was attended by Rep. Ahmed Touizi, Chairperson of the Group of Authenticity and Modernity; Rep. Mustapha Reddad (Group of the National Rally of Independents), Rep. Omar Hejira (Istiqlali Group of Unity and Egalitarianism), and Rep. Khaddouj Slassi (Socialist Group-Ittihadi Opposition).

The meeting was also attended, on the Angolan side, by MP Alcides Sakala Simões, Third Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Expatriates Committee, and MP Dumbo Manuel, First Parliamentary Secretary General of the National Assembly Board.

At the start of the meeting, the Speaker of the National Assembly of Angola expressed her profound thanks and gratitude to the Moroccan Parliament for its technical, material, and logistical support and for having provided a staff of translators to help organize the 147^th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, currently being held in Luanda from October 23 to 27, 2023. In the same vein, she expressed her appreciation for this support, underlining that it reflects the spirit of solidarity and cooperation that characterizes relations between the two brotherly African countries.

In her intervention, the Speaker also recalled the depth of the historical relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Angola, praising the support that the Angolan liberation movement received during the colonial period under the reign of the late His Majesty King Hassan II, may Allah have him in His holy mercy, as the Kingdom of Morocco provided accommodation, studies, and training for members of this movement.

The Speaker of the National Assembly of Angola also expressed her satisfaction at her recent visit to the Parliament of the Kingdom of Morocco, in its two Houses, during which she learned of the Kingdom of Morocco's distinguished experience in many fields. In the same context, she expressed her admiration for the Kingdom's achievements in terms of development, considering them a model to follow in Africa. In this context, she cited the example of the Tangier-Med Port as a major project that should be adopted as an example of success on the continent.

The Speaker also emphasized that the participation of the Moroccan parliamentary delegation in the 147^th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union is a show of support for the aspirations of parliaments worldwide to consolidate peace, justice, and development.

On the same occasion, the Speaker gave a detailed presentation of the components of the Angolan National Assembly, expressing her pride in the position and representation of women parliamentarians within the Assembly, and their chairing of two important committees: the Defense, Peace, and Security Committee, and the Economic and Financial Affairs Committee.

For his part, Rep. Mohammed Sabbari, head of the Moroccan delegation, thanked the Speaker for the excellent organization and hospitality extended to the Moroccan delegation since their arrival in Luanda. He also praised the distinguished address delivered by the President of the Republic of Angola, H.E. João Lourenço, at the inaugural ceremony of the 147^th Assembly, in which he addressed developments in the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and emphasized the need to secure the delivery of aids to the Gaza Strip to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians.

Besides, the First Deputy Speaker of the House expressed his gratitude to the Speaker for this meeting, which reflects the strength of the ties of friendship and the depth of the cooperative relations uniting the two legislative institutions. He also stressed the need to strengthen these ties through the exchange of visits and experiences in the fields of legislation, control, and administration of the legislative institution.

At the end of the meeting, the Speaker of the National Assembly of Angola invited the Speaker of the House of Representatives to pay an official visit to Angola in 2024.